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Let's take the intro stage in New Hard Type. As it is an introductory stage of the hack, I wanted to include a handful of elements (or you could call them tropes) that would be present in the stages, while retaining the original theme of the stage. The tropes to include were: Horizontal linear platforming, Multiple pathing, Expanded, detailed world, Claustrophobic sections (with enemies enhancing the idea), Vertical climbing sections.
So I took the original concept of the highway and expanded onto it. I made a highway, in which you end up falling to the underground area of the city, traveling around the area to get back to the surface to get to your original destination. It conveys into a theme and results in both an open stage with a more claustrophobic interlude, with even a vertical section.
In this case, what did I design first? Did I slap together platforms and enemies and call it a stage? Or did I design entire sections and mesh them together? Or did I instead design the tropes that would be included and explores? Or did I design the entire theme of the stage and then explore and expand onto it?
Basically, an unexperienced designer will do from the former to the latter, while the more experienced designer will try to go from the latter to the former: From the theme to the details, from the design tropes to be explored to the individual jump lengths and enemy positions to be adjusted.
So, what I propose in this topic is to discuss what could be explored in each stage! We have the following map to work with (zoom in the image):
If you don't remember where each stage occurs within the map, load your old MMX game and check it. What I want to discuss here, is different ideas to brainstorm. An example of something I could work with would be something like:
"Intro stage: Highway like the original. Horizontal stage, possibly exploring multiple paths after falling from an individual jump (should probably include visual cues to let the player know you can fall safely there). After finding the bee miniboss, the floor falls and suddenly you're in an entirely new area, an underground where you need to find your way back up. Then you reach the end of the stage".
That's a bit convoluted. How about something more friendly, more fun to imagine:
"Storm Eagle: You start at the airport, then you jump from ship to ship. Maybe the background moving suggesting that the ships are in movement? In each ship you infiltrate from the rear to the front while fighting the defenses, until you infiltrate the main ship of the maverick army, where Storm Eagle is hiding."
"Flame Mammoth: Slowly descending into a volcano. Etc."
Use your imagination and help me start the designing process!

Patch must be applied to a Mega Man X (U), UNHEADERED ROM .
There's two patches included in the download, one for the v1.0 of the ROM, and one for the v1.1 of the ROM.
Patching into the wrong version of the ROM will lead to glitches and bugs all over the place.
Mega Man X: NEW Hard Type
Mega Man X: New Hard Type is a WIP retake of the Mega Man X: Hard Type mod. It greatly expands the scope of the project with the addition of new modding tools that allow more radical redesign of the levels.
List of changes for the final version:
Level changes: Every single level will be redesigned from scratch. More enemies, completely new, reimagined areas. Upgrades locations completely relocated and others. Note that while this is called "Hard Type", it's simply a reimagine of the old stages with a more competent difficulty curve, and should not be mistagged with names like "Kaizo". Such concepts are out of this project's scope.
Gameplay rebalances:
Upgrades get a few more uses for further rebalance between them.
X starts the game with dash enabled.
Leg Upgrade allows for higher jump height, and decreased wall slide speed. When combined with the Arm Upgrade, it also allows for faster ladder climbing.
Head Upgrade recovers half of a SubTank's capacity each die X dies.
Body Upgrade now only reduces 25% of incoming damage.
Arm Upgrade functions the same as the original: Enables third level charge of the buster and allows for special weapons charging.
Hadouken is not longer a 1-shot and it's easier to fire / land. Details to come.
Zero gives an upgrade to X after the Vile battle. No spoilers.
Other gameplay rebalances.
X gets a SubTank for every 2 SubTank Pieces. By grabbing all 4 SubTank Pieces, you get 2 SubTanks total. SubTank Piece Counter added in the pause screen.
Infinite Lives. Death Counter up to 999 added in the pause screen.
Weapon speeds get rebalanced. Weapon damage gets rebalanced. Weapon usage cost gets rebalanced. Duration of Sting Chameleon's charged attack gets rebalanced (Yes, I typed that separatedly).
Invincible frames after hit are slightly reduced (emphasis on the word slightly).
Health drop rates are unchanged.
"Spec Mode" (Little button in the bottom left in the Select Stage screen) now includes difficulty labels for all stages, so the player can pick a stage with the difficulty they want most. They also include the upgrades in the stage as well.
Stages can be exited at any given time, with no need to beat them first. Only notable exception is Highway Stage (since it's the Intro Stage).
Enemies get their fair rebalance, as well.
Enemies get faster and more reactive.
Enemies deal more damage.
Enemies are more grouped and better synergized.
Enemies drink your tears.
Want to donate? Click here!
Download:
Patch must be applied to a Mega Man X (U), UNHEADERED ROM .
There's two patches included in the download, one for the v1.0 of the ROM, and one for the v1.1 of the ROM.
Patching into the wrong version of the ROM will lead to glitches and bugs all over the place.
Credits:
Xeeynamo, for creating the MMXE 0.7.1 Beta editor. This project wouldn't have even started without this wonderful tool; huge thanks to you. Xeeynamo's website: http://digitalwork.altervista.org/
justin3009 of the Megaman X9 Forums, for his great help in ASM hacking.
Red Guy, for improving the MegaED X editor to levels I didn't even believe were possible. Thanks to you, the MMX community will hopefully be encouraged to release more of these projects. Just... Thank you.
BTB, Advent and Stann for their help on improving the dialogue. You guys rock. \m/
Every Beta Tester or player who has given feedback for this project so far. (Names in the forum thread)
Everyone in Insane Difficulty, giving me support, constructive opinions, suggestions. http://ww.insanedifficulty.com
The crew in New Game +. http://www.ngplus.net

Patch must be applied to a Mega Man X (U), UNHEADERED ROM .
There's two patches included in the download, one for the v1.0 of the ROM, and one for the v1.1 of the ROM.
Patching into the wrong version of the ROM will lead to glitches and bugs all over the place.
Mega Man X: NEW Hard Type
Mega Man X: New Hard Type is a WIP retake of the Mega Man X: Hard Type mod. It greatly expands the scope of the project with the addition of new modding tools that allow more radical redesign of the levels.
List of changes for the final version:
Level changes: Every single level will be redesigned from scratch. More enemies, completely new, reimagined areas. Upgrades locations completely relocated and others. Note that while this is called "Hard Type", it's simply a reimagine of the old stages with a more competent difficulty curve, and should not be mistagged with names like "Kaizo". Such concepts are out of this project's scope.
Gameplay rebalances:
Upgrades get a few more uses for further rebalance between them.
X starts the game with dash enabled.
Leg Upgrade allows for higher jump height, and decreased wall slide speed. When combined with the Arm Upgrade, it also allows for faster ladder climbing.
Head Upgrade recovers half of a SubTank's capacity each die X dies.
Body Upgrade now only reduces 25% of incoming damage.
Arm Upgrade functions the same as the original: Enables third level charge of the buster and allows for special weapons charging.
Hadouken is not longer a 1-shot and it's easier to fire / land. Details to come.
Zero gives an upgrade to X after the Vile battle. No spoilers.
Other gameplay rebalances.
X gets a SubTank for every 2 SubTank Pieces. By grabbing all 4 SubTank Pieces, you get 2 SubTanks total. SubTank Piece Counter added in the pause screen.
Infinite Lives. Death Counter up to 999 added in the pause screen.
Weapon speeds get rebalanced. Weapon damage gets rebalanced. Weapon usage cost gets rebalanced. Duration of Sting Chameleon's charged attack gets rebalanced (Yes, I typed that separatedly).
Invincible frames after hit are slightly reduced (emphasis on the word slightly).
Health drop rates are unchanged.
"Spec Mode" (Little button in the bottom left in the Select Stage screen) now includes difficulty labels for all stages, so the player can pick a stage with the difficulty they want most. They also include the upgrades in the stage as well.
Stages can be exited at any given time, with no need to beat them first. Only notable exception is Highway Stage (since it's the Intro Stage).
Enemies get their fair rebalance, as well.
Enemies get faster and more reactive.
Enemies deal more damage.
Enemies are more grouped and better synergized.
Enemies drink your tears.
Want to donate? Click here!
Patch must be applied to a Mega Man X (U), UNHEADERED ROM .
There's two patches included in the download, one for the v1.0 of the ROM, and one for the v1.1 of the ROM.
Patching into the wrong version of the ROM will lead to glitches and bugs all over the place.
Credits:
Xeeynamo, for creating the MMXE 0.7.1 Beta editor. This project wouldn't have even started without this wonderful tool; huge thanks to you. Xeeynamo's website: http://digitalwork.altervista.org/
justin3009 of the Megaman X9 Forums, for his great help in ASM hacking.
Red Guy, for improving the MegaED X editor to levels I didn't even believe were possible. Thanks to you, the MMX community will hopefully be encouraged to release more of these projects. Just... Thank you.
BTB, Advent and Stann for their help on improving the dialogue. You guys rock. \m/
Every Beta Tester or player who has given feedback for this project so far. (Names in the forum thread)
Everyone in Insane Difficulty, giving me support, constructive opinions, suggestions. http://ww.insanedifficulty.com
The crew in New Game +. http://www.ngplus.net